Eli F3L 2m

Usually I would wait until after a few flights before posting a review. However the product reviews have been so helpful to me in glider selection that I choose to post the information at the stage of almost completion. Most reviews of the Eli are very positive. I hope after flying I will love it. The problem is motor installation. I believe all they have done is taken the glider version and drilled the forward bulkhead for the motor mount. I saw many other reviewers used the DYS motor and mentioned it was a tight fit. Actually it will only fit if you take a dremel tool and remove a lot of structure. If I knew in advance I would have widened the front a few millimeters. I notice the new CLM Res 3 is sold in both a glider and powered version. I assume that means its modified for the motor. They are both light and similar structure. If I had it to do again I would be tempted to go with the Prime res 3 or seek Neils advice on the matter.

I brought this kit to have a go at the local RES 2metre class comps.
Upon opening the simple cardboard box I was pleased to see some very nice and well chosen balsa and ply and a really good quality plan. Also included were building jigs for the wing ribs . These are very accurate and useful for alignment of the wing ribs etc.
The whole kit goes together very well but I would suggest you take your time and study the plan and instructions before you commit to adding any glue.(That goes for any kit really).
The wing is very stiff and light. I covered my model with transparent Profilm but used the Delux materials Covergrip to give extra adhesion to the ribs on the undercambered areas. I used a Dualsky XM2523-23 2300 motor on a 2 cell 550mah Lipo and a 6x4 prop. KST X06 servos for the fuselage and Bluebird BMS101HV servos for the spoilers.
The model went together well but with care. Total weight of the model completely ready to fly is 438 grams. I’ve only had a couple of flights so far but is shows promise. The spoilers are very effective and it definitely responds well to lift.

Quality kit and instructions, all went together perfectly, I'm nearly ready for covering.
Using the DYS D2225-19 1350kv with a 3S 500mAh and JX DHV56MG servos.
Looking forward to the maiden. Service from Hyperflight was outstanding, and it made it all the way to Australia in one piece.

I wanted to wait until I had completed the build and flown the model before posting a review. I mostly scratch build my planes from plans rather than a kit but wanting a 2m glider and faced with all those ribs, so on this occasion I chose the Eli RES. Like other reviewers I was very impressed with the quality of the kit and apart from a few head scratches during building, it went together very nicely with excellent fits. I used a suggested power train of the DYS D2225-19 1350kv (which is a nice snug fit in the nose) and the 28A BLHI-32 ESC. For r/e I used a pair of the CHA DS06 Chaservo and a pair of Power HD servos for the spoilers. The suggested spoiler/servo mechanism works fine. I covered the model with Hyperflight's own transparent covering and was surprised how nicely it worked. Finished weight was 470g with a Tattu 750mAh battery which I was able to squeeze in. I have flown it several times now, the power setup gives several reasonable climbs and although there was marginal lift on most occasions I flew the ELI it still managed not to disappoint. I can't wait for some better days. Spoilers are set to about 60 degrees and a little up elevator to compensate. They are not overly effective. I would thoroughly recommend the Eli, it looks and flies great. Excellent service from Hyperflight.

Top quality parts, perfectly cut and good instructions plus a colour plan

Eli kit was a Christmas present to myself.I am shortly starting the build and so far can only say that I am very satisfied with the quality of the parts.. The overseas delivery and packaging were excellent.

Was very impressed seeing one flying at my club , had to have one. The usual great service from hyperfligh, arrived next day well packaged . The kit is good quality with all the accessories to complete the build.

It's two years since I reviewed the kit I had just received and I thought it only fair to comment on the build and flying performance of the Eli. I flew it in last year's competitions and I feel that it made me look much better than I really am. It flies very well indeed! In one competition at Buckminster, after flying one max, I made the
really stupid decision to launch again without checking the battery and caught a thermal after releasing from the bungee. It was joined by some buzzards and I watched the model and birds disappear downwind, circling gracefully, without having any means of controlling the flight. It apparently landed in a farmer's field about 3 miles away and he telephoned Buckminster. Manny kindly picked it up for me. On my next visit for a competition, after cleaning off some sheep poo, I was able to fly with it! This is some model: it's very lightweight and looks fragile - but is much more robust than appearance suggests.
In strong winds, although it will still penetrate, it would benefit from adding ballast (ballast tubes are provided in the kit) and I have prepared some for using where necessary this year.
I think this model is really excellent!

I ordered a Eli RES kit from the website, the parcel arrived on the specific day that i requested, the kit was very well protected in a postal box, really pleased with this purchase along with all my previous purchases from Hyperflight and look forward to many more, Thank You

I found the Eli on Hyperflight and loved the look of this model with the elliptical flying surfaces. I ordered from hyperflight and it arrived in 5 days from the uk to Pennsylvania!

The quality of the kit is amazing and the build was easy all the information is on the plans. The wood provided was l nice and light- all parts were numbered and the fit was excellent- it was a joy to put together. There are two shims included that go beneath the undercamber section of the airfoil during the build- other than that it’s a basic build on plan design.

I used the recommended DYS motor and it fits the fuselage with barely enough space. I used the GM 30 mm spinner - with 8x4 vita prop blades , a castle talon 15 ESC and a 3 cell Tattu 550 mah 95 c flight battery.

The model builds fast and I was ready for covering in 4 days ( roughly 20 hours). I covered mine with Ultracote Light and it was very easy to work with and went on the light weight structures beautifully - I would not recommend using a heavier covering material .

I got to test fly my Eli about two weeks ago and it flew well right off the building board…. a couple clicks of elevator trim was all that was necessary.

The power system is adequate it climbs at a 40 degree angle - I would like a little more power but it does the job.

I have flown my Eli about 5 outings now and I have to say that this is a really well designed model - it handles great it thermals with ease with a all up weight of 439 grams.

I have been getting one hour flights without using the motor more than once or twice from 60 - 70 meters launch height.

I am not sure why this model is not more popular- The two piece wings slide on and are held by a magnet retention system and auto mating spoiler servo connectors make it simple to assemble at the field … it literally takes 20 seconds to plug the battery in and slide the wings on !

Jack

This is my 2nd only build ever and this kit has been very user friendly, easy and fun to assemble. The team at Hyperflight are keen to help, quick and very professional. Looking forward to flying it. Highly recommended.

I bought the kit off Neil back in August, I only have a very small space to build so I specifically wanted the Eli, due to the wings construction, they are built in 3 sections on each wing.
The quality of kit is excellent, I was very impressed with the plans, they are extremely easy to understand and great to follow.
Build wise, once you get over using the carbon rods, the build is a dream, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I look forward to building another amazing Kit from Hyperflight.
My only regret in the build is not with the kit, but rather with the glue, super glue made my life alot harder when it came to the wing construction.
All in all 10 out of 10 for the kit, its a great easy build and I am sure when the time comes my Eli will be a lovely model to fly!
Thanks again Neil for an amazing service as always!!

There is no doubt that is a fabulous kit. I t arrived here within two two days of ordering it inside two massive strong cardboard boxes. Opening, the piece or balsa and plywood are a joy to see. Perfect. The plan is self explanatory and building will be a delight. This is the first kit I have ever bought and it is perfect

This was my first laser cut kit. I was amazed how the pieces are precisely cut. It was quick and easy to build except sanding the trailing edge was a big chore. I reinforced the soft balsa tail seat using some 1oz fiberglass cloth. Can't wait to fly.

Beautiful kit with nice wood, nicely cut, and accurate fit. It builds into a lovely shaped machine without difficulty. Mine came out nose heavy with Hacker A10-7=4.4:1

The Eli is an advanced F3RES competition sailplane. The wood selection and parts fit are good, but the design is not for beginners in this class. The design is well thought out, and with the excellent plan sheet, there were no ambiguities in putting things together. I look forward to flying this ship when the snow melts a bit.

Very accurate kit makes building a dream. They look so beautiful, as I hoped. Didn't glue the 6 panels so they can be covered apart.I will use just a few drops glue in between them before flying. That may save unnecessarily damage in unhappy landings. The tail doesn't appeal to the graphics of the wings and will be build in much more transparent and lighter/stiffer. Tailseat in soft balsa will be exchanged . Fuselage is neat and stiff but nose was to be thickened to get a little Axy outrunner innside. Looking forward to fly this beauty in a few weeks.

Splendid kit. Just started building; a few bits of regrinding (!) to get parts to come together as intended but that's no big deal. Service exemplary and Neil couldn't have been more helpful. Roll on Spring!

nicely presented kit with excellent plan. took 8 days to build and fit motor to F5 spec with Hacker A7 geared motor- plan shows conversion and 2 motor bulkheads are included with different hole spacings. went together very well though tailplane pylon is fiddly. wing tips are very weak and I braced them with bent wire at T.E. and carbon rod into mainspar. turned up some stainless ballast bars to give an extra 100g and have now flown with and without ballast- very impressive all-round. looking forward to some competitions.

Truly excellent kit, the laser cutting being the best I have seen. With an eliptical wing plan and tapered carbon fibre tube spars the laser cutting had to be spot on - and it was, everything fitted. All materials are top quality. Mine came out slightly heavy at 475 grams but I made no effort to keep the weight down as I wanted to use it more as a light wind slope soarer. I flew it today in a 'bit of a breeze' and as I suspected in the conditions, the performance was better with the ballast fitted. In very light air it will be fine without the ballast - it flies very well indeed. Spoilers are very effective too. I may even invest in a bungee!
Very highly recommended and of course top service from Neil.

This is simply an outstanding kit and a complete joy to put together. The full size plan is a work of art and should be framed and hung up in the workshop. Quality of everything is superb and as long as you have a degree of building ability will not be a problem. Having said that, with more than fifty years now of making model airplanes, there were still a couple of mistakes made. One too embarrassing to mention. And if building another one, half a dozen things I would do differently. But on the whole, simply outstanding. Finished model looks lovely, slightly heavier than planned at 447 gm, and ready for maiden flight, hopefully soon. Build one, you will love the experience as I did. GM.

Not a lot to report just yet (only just purchased and delivered the next day, thanks Neil!) but a close study today of the kit contents, the plan and instruction sheet, and the Google Album as well, reveals an extremely good quality product, which should go together without fuss.

Looking forward to building and eventually flying.

Kit arrived as other items before within three days. this is a really well made kit. I won't be starting on it just yet as other projects in hand. Thanks Hyperflight.

Ordered late afternoon and delivered just over 24 hours later. I've looked longingly at the plan and the kit components but am not yet ready to start building. The quality of the balsa and the part-cutting is very impressive. The English translation of the build instructions is a little challenging but I think I've worked it all out. "Controll turning of the wing, on tip-1 negative 1-2mm ......" was particularly challenging but I'm assuming that it really does mean washout.
Hyperflight have a fabulous selection of kits and their response to customer orders is second-to-none. I know that obtaining balsa kits from Europe is very difficult at the moment and I hope that will be resolved because I look forward to building more of these.

HyperFlight comment: Yes it means washout.

Beautiful kit, cutting and wood. First class, fast delivery and very well packaged. A1.
A pleasure to build. Thank you HyperFlight.